Progressive capitalist rallies for democratic socialist NYC mayoral candidate

Jamaica, Queens – Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., is a “progressive capitalist,” but ahead of the long-awaited election Day in New York City, Silicon Valley congressman Zahran Mamdani rallied for the Democratic Socialist.

As a broad coalition of Mamdani supporters gathered in Major Mark Park in Queens on Saturday, the socialist and capitalist — both of Indian descent — found common ground despite a looming identity crisis in the Democratic Party.

“My vision is economic patriotism,” Khanna told Fox News Digital after the rally, explaining that he wants to “build a broad Roosevelt-Obama-style coalition” to reform the American economy. “I think we need to be a wide tent.”

Khanna said he is “probably one of the few Democrats” who has campaigned for the Democratic nominee in all three major races this election cycle, and also joined gubernatorial candidates Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., on the campaign trail in their states this year.

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“If you had asked me when I was growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that there would be an Indian American of the Hindu faith representing Silicon Valley presenting an African-born Muslim Indian, who would be the next mayor of New York, I would have only told you in a Mira Nair film, but it’s happening,” Khanna told the audience, referring to the film director Mamdani’s mother.

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Among those who rallied in Queens were coalitions of New Yorkers of Afghan, Muslim, Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds, along with local elected officials, including former Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., who lost the Democratic primary to a more moderate challenger last year.

Speakers during Saturday’s rally and campaign launch condemned Islamophobia, after Mamdani last week criticized his rivals in the mayoral race, including independent candidate former governor Andrew Cuomo, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, and Mayor Ericks Adams, who suspended his reelection campaign and endorsed Cuomo over what he claims is “Islamophobic rhetoric.”

Mamdani asked the gathered New Yorkers to raise their hands if they have been called terrorists, have had their names “smeared” by their employers, or been made to feel “less than they are.”

“We are not only saying goodbye to a disgraced former governor on Tuesday, we are saying goodbye to the politics of that disgrace,” Mamdani said.

But just moments before, Mamdani’s remarks were interrupted by a protester, who criticized the leading mayoral candidate for refusing to condemn the phrase “globalization of intifada” — widely seen as a call for violence against Jews. Mamdani said he would discourage others from using the phrase but was reluctant to denounce it.

“You are a communist!” The protester shouted from the press pen as the crowd booed him while Mamdani continued his speech.

“This is not Cuba! This is not Venezuela!” shouted the demonstrator, who was wearing a T-shirt bearing the Cuban flag.

Eventually, police officers escorted him out of the gathering as he shouted: “Fuck you, Zahran!”

President Donald Trump has called Mamdani “a 100 percent crazy communist” and “my little communist” — a title Mamdani has rejected.

Mamdani’s ambitious campaign agenda includes free express buses, city-run grocery stores, and free child care, which he plans to pay for through higher taxes on corporations and the top 1% of New Yorkers.

New York City mayoral candidate Zahran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul hold hands on stage as they attend the “New York is Not for Sale” rally at Forest Hills Stadium, in the borough of Queens, New York City, on October 26, 2025. (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who was heckled by Mamdani supporters for “taxing the rich” during a rally last Sunday, has ruled out raising taxes, despite her endorsement of Mamdani’s mayoral campaign.

After Saturday’s rally and campaign launch, Khanna told Fox News Digital that Hochul “should be taxing billionaires.”

“What’s wrong with taxing that wealth so we can pay for child care?” Khanna asked, explaining that a 10% “billionaire tax” — which he said Elon Musk is looking to impose — could cover the costs of universal child care in the United States.

“I don’t see why you don’t support a basic wealth tax,” Khanna added.

Mamdani’s campaign for mayor revealed a rift within the Democratic Party, as New York Democrats were reluctant to endorse his democratic socialist agenda.

A Zahran Mamdani supporter holds a “Freeze Rent” sign at a launch party at Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavy)

After months of withholding his support, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries finally endorsed Mamdani last week. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer did not endorse Mamdani just days before the race.

As the Democratic Party faces losses at the ballot box in 2024, a new report this week urged Democrats to moderate their positions.

The report was released in the wake of a trio of self-identified Democratic socialists — Mamdani, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. – Joining forces to mobilize more than 10,000 New York City voters at Forest Hills Arena last Sunday.

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When asked about the value of building a coalition with Mamdani, even though Khanna rejects socialism and describes himself as a “progressive capitalist,” he told Fox News Digital that the real challenge is “dividing the wealth.”

“People can’t afford rent,” Khanna said. “People can’t afford child care. SNAP has been cut. I represent more wealth than ever before, and I’m saying you can tax billionaires so people can get health care and education. We can have a vision of how we create high-paying jobs, not just here in Queens, but in rural America, in factory towns all over this nation.”

Fox News Digital’s Olivia Palumbo contributed to this report.